DOCSLIB.ORG

Owen Wister, the Virginian: a Horseman of the Plains

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Owen Wister, the Virginian: a Horseman of the Plains __Owen Wister__ THE VIRGINIAN A Horseman of the Plains 1902 Introduction, Chapters 1-3 Illustrations from the original edition To THEODORE ROOSEVELT Some of these pages you have seen, some you have praised, one stands new - written because you blamed it; and all, my dear critic, beg leave to remind you of their author’s changeless admiration. TO THE READER1 Certain of the newspapers, when this book was first is a vanished world. No journeys, save those which announced, made a mistake most natural upon seeing the memory can take, will bring you to it now. The sub-title as it then stood, A Tale of Sundry Adventures. mountains are there, far and shining, and the sunlight, “This sounds like a historical novel,” said one of them, and the infinite earth, and the air that seems forever the meaning (I take it) a colonial romance. As it now stands, true fountain of youth, but where is the buffalo, and the title will scarce lead to such interpretation; yet none the wild antelope, and where the horseman with his the less is this book historical quite as much so as any pasturing thousands? So like its old self does the sage- colonial romance. Indeed, when you look at the root of brush seem when revisited, that you wait for the the matter, it is a colonial romance. For Wyoming horseman to appear. between 1874 and 1890 was a colony as wild as was But he will never come again. He rides in his historic Virginia one hundred years earlier. As wild, with a yesterday. You will no more see him gallop out of the scantier population, and the same primitive joys and unchanging silence than you will see Columbus on the dangers. There were, to be sure, not so many unchanging sea come sailing from Palos with his Chippendale settees. caravels. We know quite well the common understanding of And yet the horseman is still so near our day that in the term “historical novel.” Hugh Wynne exactly fits it. some chapters of this book, which were published But Silas Lapham is a novel as perfectly historical as is separate at the close of the nineteenth century, the Hugh Wynne, for it pictures an era and personifies a type. present tense was used. It is true no longer. In those It matters not that in the one we find George Washington chapters it has been changed, and verbs like “is” and and in the other none save imaginary figures; else The “have” now read “was” and “had.” Time has flowed Scarlet Letter were not historical. Nor does it matter that faster than my ink. Dr. Mitchell did not live in the time of which he wrote, What is become of the horseman, the cow-puncher, while Mr. Howells saw many Silas Laphams with his the last romantic figure upon our soil? For he was own eyes; else Uncle Tom’s Cabin were not historical. romantic. Whatever he did, he did with his might. The Any narrative which presents faithfully a day and a bread that he earned was earned hard, the wages that he generation is of necessity historical; and this one presents squandered were squandered hard, — half a year’s pay Wyoming between 1874 and 1890. sometimes gone in a night, — “blown in,” as he Had you left New York or San Francisco at ten expressed it, or “blowed in,” to be perfectly accurate. o’clock this morning, by noon the day after to-morrow Well, he will be here among us always, invisible, waiting you could step out at Cheyenne. There you would stand his chance to live and play as he would like. His wild at the heart of the world that is the subject of my picture, kind has been among us always, since the beginning: a yet you would look around you in vain for the reality. It young man with his temptations, a hero without wings. Presented by the National Humanities Center, Research Triangle Park, NC. 2005. The cow-puncher’s ungoverned hours did not unman thing true? Now to this I have the best answer in the him. If he gave his word, he kept it; Wall Street would world. Once a cow-puncher listened patiently while I have found him behind the times. Nor did he talk lewdly read him a manuscript. It concerned an event upon an to women; Newport would have thought him old- Indian reservation. “Was that the Crow reservation?” he fashioned. He and his brief epoch make a complete inquired at the finish. I told him that it was no real picture, for in themselves they were as complete as the reservation and no real event; and his face expressed pioneers of the land or the explorers of the sea. A displeasure. “Why,” he demanded, “do you waste your transition has followed the horseman of the plains; a time writing what never happened, when you know so shapeless state, a condition of men and manners as many things that did happen?” unlovely as is that moment in the year when winter is And I could no more help telling him that this was the gone and spring not come, and the face of Nature is ugly. highest compliment ever paid me than I have been able I shall not dwell upon it here. Those who have seen it to help telling you about it here! know well what I mean. Such transition was inevitable. Let us give thanks that it is but a transition, and not a CHARLESTON, S.C., March 31st, 1902 finality. Sometimes readers inquire, Did I know the Virginian? As well, I hope, as a father should know his son. And sometimes it is asked, Was such and such a THE VIRGINIAN A Horseman of the Plains Some world. His undistracted eye stayed fixed upon I. ENTER THE MAN notable sight the dissembling foe, and the gravity of his was drawing horse-expression made the matter one of high the passengers, both men and women, to the comedy. Then the rope would sail out at him, window; and therefore I rose and crossed the car but he was already elsewhere; and if horses to see what it was. I saw near the track an laugh, gayety must have abounded in that corral. enclosure, and round it some laughing men, and Sometimes the pony took a turn alone; next he inside it some whirling dust, and amid the dust had slid in a flash among his brothers, and the some horses, plunging, huddling, and dodging. whole of them like a school of playful fish They were cow ponies in a corral, and one of whipped round the corral, kicking up the fine them would not be caught, no matter who threw dust, and (I take it) roaring with laughter. the rope. We had plenty of time to watch this Through the window-glass of our Pullman the sport, for our train had stopped that the engine thud of their mischievous hoofs reached us, and might take water at the tank before it pulled us the strong, humorous curses of the cow-boys. up beside the station platform of Medicine Bow Then for the first time I noticed a man who sat [Wyoming]. We were also six hours late, and on the high gate of the corral, looking on. For he starving for entertainment. The pony in the now climbed down with the undulations of a corral was wise, and rapid of limb. Have you tiger, smooth and easy, as if his muscles flowed seen a skilful boxer watch his antagonist with a beneath his skin. The others had all visibly quiet, incessant eye? Such an eye as this did the whirled the rope, some of them even shoulder pony keep upon whatever man took the rope. high. I did not see his arm lift or move. He The man might pretend to look at the weather, appeared to hold the rope down low, by his leg. which was fine; or he might affect earnest But like a sudden snake I saw the noose go out conversation with a bystander: it was bootless. its length and fall true; and the thing was done. The pony saw through it. No feint hoodwinked As the captured pony walked in with a sweet, him. This animal was thoroughly a man of the church-door expression, our train moved slowly 2 on to the station, and a passenger remarked, out through the door at the sky and the plains; “That man knows his business.” but I did not see the antelope shining among the But the passenger’s dissertation upon roping sage-brush, nor the great sunset light of I was obliged to lose, for Medicine Bow was my Wyoming. Annoyance blinded my eyes to all station. I bade my fellow-travellers good-by, things save my grievance: I saw only a lost and descended, a stranger, into the great cattle trunk. And I was muttering half-aloud, “What a land. And here in less than ten minutes I learned forsaken hole this is!” when suddenly from news which made me feel a stranger indeed. outside on the platform came a slow voice: My baggage was lost; it had not come on my “Off to get married again? Oh, don’t!” train; it was adrift somewhere back in the two The voice was Southern and gentle and thousand miles that lay behind me. And by way drawling; and a second voice came in of comfort, the baggage-man remarked that immediate answer, cracked and querulous: passengers often got astray from their trunks, “It ain’t again.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Many Voices, One Nation Booklist A
    Many Voices, One Nation Booklist Many Voices, One Nation began as an initiative of past American Library Association President Carol Brey-Casiano. In 2005 ALA Chapters, Ethnic Caucuses, and other ALA groups were asked to contribute annotated book selections that best represent the uniqueness, diversity, and/or heritage of their state, region or group. Selections are featured for children, young adults, and adults. The list is a sampling that showcases the diverse voices that exist in our nation and its literature. A Alabama Library Association Title: Send Me Down a Miracle Author: Han Nolan Publisher: San Diego: Harcourt Brace Date of Publication: 1996 ISBN#: [X] Young Adults Annotation: Adrienne Dabney, a flamboyant New York City artist, returns to Casper, Alabama, the sleepy, God-fearing town of her birth, to conduct an artistic experiment. Her big-city ways and artsy ideas aren't exactly embraced by the locals, but it's her claim of having had a vision of Jesus that splits the community. Deeply affected is fourteen- year-old Charity Pittman, daughter of a local preacher. Reverend Pittman thinks Adrienne is the devil incarnate while Charity thinks she's wonderful. Believer is pitted against nonbeliever and Charity finds herself caught in the middle, questioning her father, her religion, and herself. Alabama Library Association Title: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café Author: Fannie Flagg Publisher: New York: Random House Date of Publication: 1987 ISBN#: [X] Adults Annotation: This begins as the story of two women in the 1980s, of gray-headed Mrs. Threadgoode telling her life story to Evelyn who is caught in the sad slump of middle age.
    [Show full text]
  • Film Preservation Program Are "Cimarron,"
    "7 NO. 5 The Museum of Modern Art FOR RELEASE JANUARY 14 11 West 53 Street, New York, N.Y. 10019 Tel. 955-6100 Cable: Modernart EARLY FILMS TO BE REVIVED AT MUSEUM "The Virginian," Cecil B. DeMllle's 1914 classic, from the novel by Owen Wlster, with Dustin Famun who played in the stage version, will be shown as part of a series of eleven early films to be presented from January 14 through January 25, at The Museum of Modern Art. The Jesse Lasky production of "The Virginian" will be introduced by James Card, Curator of the George Eastman House Motion Picture Study Collection in Rochester, which is providing the films on the Museum program. At the eight o'clock, January 14 performance, Mr. Card will introduce the film and address himself to the controversy over the direction of "The Virginian," one of the early silent feature films. The fact that Cecil B. DeMille directed has been in dispute over the years. On the same program with "The Virginian," another vintage film will be shown. Tod Browning's "The Unknown" starring Lon Chaney. Made in 1927, it was an original story by the director, called "Alonzo, the Armless." According to The New York Times Film Reviews, a recently published compilation of the paper's film criticism, "the role ought to have satisfied Mr. Chaney's penchant for freakish characterizations for here he not only has to go about for hours with his arms strapped to his body, but when he rests behind bolted doors, one perceives that he has on his left hand a double thumb." Joan Crawford plays the female lead in the film, about which Roy Edwards writes in Sight and Sound, the characters and special effects add up to a "thorough display of grotesqueries." Other notable films that are part of this film preservation program are "Cimarron," starring Richard Dix and made in 1931 from Edna Ferber's popular novel; "Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • O Pioneers!" and Mourning Dove's "Cogewea, the Half-Blood"
    University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 2006 Unsettling nature at the frontier| Nature, narrative, and female empowerment in Willa Cather's "O Pioneers!" and Mourning Dove's "Cogewea, the Half-Blood" Erin E. Hendel The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Hendel, Erin E., "Unsettling nature at the frontier| Nature, narrative, and female empowerment in Willa Cather's "O Pioneers!" and Mourning Dove's "Cogewea, the Half-Blood"" (2006). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 3973. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/3973 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Maureen and Mike MANSFIELD LIBRARY The University of Montana Permission is granted by the author to reproduce this material in its entirety, provided that this material is used for scholarly purposes and is properly cited in published works and reports. **Please check "Yes" or "No" and provide signature Yes, I grant permission ^ No, I do not grant permission Author's Signature: Date j Any copying for commercial purposes or financial gain may be undertaken only with the author's explicit consent. 8/98 UNSETTLING NATURE AT THE FRONTIER: NATURE, NARRATIVE, AND FEMALE EMPOWERMENT IN WILLA CATHER'S O PIONEERS! AND MOURNING DOVE'S COGEWEA, THE HALF-BLOOD "Jhv Erin E.
    [Show full text]
  • Bulletin of the College of William and Mary in Virginia
    I?,(P, 1/h^ou^ Vol. XVIII. No. 1 April, 1924 BULLETIN W(^ CoUese tiWMma. anb illarp in Virginia Two Hundred and Thirty-first Year CATALOGUE 1923-1924 Announcements 1924-1925 (Entered at +fae Post-Office at Williamsburg as second-class matter) v.. Digitized by tine Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from LYRASIS IVIembers and Sloan Foundation http://www.archive.org/details/bulletinofcolleg181coll Oo Vol. XVIII. No. 1 April, 1924 BULLETIN €f)e College of OTilliam anb iWarp in "Virginia Two Hundred and Thirty-first Year CATALOGUE 1923-1924 Announcements 1924-1925 (Entered at the Post-Office at Williamsburg as second-class matter) CONTENTS Page Calendar 3 College Calendar 4 Officers of Instruction 7-20 Officers of Administration 21 History of the College 23 Buildings and Grounds 28 Government and Administration 33 Expenses 38 Dormitories, Reservation of Rooms in . 40 Special Fees and Expenses 42 Scholarships and Loan Funds 44-51 Admission 52 Degree Requirements 56 Courses of Instruction 62 Freshman Courses 125 Special Courses 129 Courses Leading to Engineering 129 Course Leading to Forestry 132 Course in Home Economics , : 134 Pharmacy Course 1 40 Physical Education Course 142 Bachelor of Chemistry Course 140 Pre-Dental Course 135 Pre-Medical Course 137 School of Social Work and Public Health ' 143 Teacher Training, William and Mary System of 162 Economics and Business Administration, School of 169 Marshall-Wythe School of Government and Citizenship 192 Jurisprudence, School of 197 Athletics 213 College Societies and Publications 216 Phi
    [Show full text]
  • The Death of Christian Culture
    Memoriœ piœ patris carrissimi quoque et matris dulcissimœ hunc libellum filius indignus dedicat in cordibus Jesu et Mariœ. The Death of Christian Culture. Copyright © 2008 IHS Press. First published in 1978 by Arlington House in New Rochelle, New York. Preface, footnotes, typesetting, layout, and cover design copyright 2008 IHS Press. Content of the work is copyright Senior Family Ink. All rights reserved. Portions of chapter 2 originally appeared in University of Wyoming Publications 25(3), 1961; chapter 6 in Gary Tate, ed., Reflections on High School English (Tulsa, Okla.: University of Tulsa Press, 1966); and chapter 7 in the Journal of the Kansas Bar Association 39, Winter 1970. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review, or except in cases where rights to content reproduced herein is retained by its original author or other rights holder, and further reproduction is subject to permission otherwise granted thereby according to applicable agreements and laws. ISBN-13 (eBook): 978-1-932528-51-0 ISBN-10 (eBook): 1-932528-51-2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Senior, John, 1923– The death of Christian culture / John Senior; foreword by Andrew Senior; introduction by David Allen White. p. cm. Originally published: New Rochelle, N.Y. : Arlington House, c1978. ISBN-13: 978-1-932528-51-0 1. Civilization, Christian. 2. Christianity–20th century. I. Title. BR115.C5S46 2008 261.5–dc22 2007039625 IHS Press is the only publisher dedicated exclusively to the social teachings of the Catholic Church.
    [Show full text]
  • The Chisholm Trail
    From the poem “Cattle” by Berta Hart Nance In the decades following the Civil War, more than 6 million cattle—up to 10 million by some accounts—were herded out of Texas in one of the greatest migrations of animals ever known. These 19th-century cattle drives laid the foundation for Texas’ wildly successful cattle industry and helped elevate the state out of post-Civil War despair and poverty. Today, our search for an American identity often leads us back to the vision of the rugged and independent men and women of the cattle drive era. Although a number of cattle drive routes existed during this period, none captured the popular imagination like the one we know today as the Chisholm Trail. Through songs, stories, and mythical tales, the Chisholm Trail has become a vital feature of American identity. Historians have long debated aspects of the Chisholm Trail’s history, including the exact route and even its name. Although they may argue over specifics, most would agree that the decades of the cattle drives were among the most colorful periods of Texas history. The purpose of this guide is not to resolve debates, but rather to help heritage tourists explore the history and lore associated with the legendary cattle-driving route. We hope you find the historical disputes part of the intrigue, and are inspired to investigate the historic sites, museums, and attractions highlighted here to reach your own conclusions. 1835-36 The Texas Revolution 1845 The United States annexes Texas as the 28th state 1861-65 The American Civil War 1867 Joseph G.
    [Show full text]
  • ANALYSIS the Virginian (1902) Owen Wister (1860-1938)
    ANALYSIS The Virginian (1902) Owen Wister (1860-1938) “This tale of the cowpunchers of the Wyoming cattle country during the exciting 1870s and ‘80s is chiefly concerned with the adventures of a handsome heroic figure known only as ‘the Virginian,’ his chivalry and daring, and his successful wooing of Molly Wood, a pretty schoolteacher from Vermont. The celebrated phrase, ‘When you call me that, smile!,’ is one of the many colloquial expressions with which the book is peppered.” James D. Hart The Oxford Companion to American Literature, 5th edition (Oxford 1941-83) 794 “Owen Wister began with short stories of ranch life, collected in Lin MacLean (1898) and The Jimmyjohn Boss (1900), and followed them with The Virginian (1902) which, in spite of some romantic goings-on that [Realist cowboy Andy] Adams would have scorned, has held its place as a literary milestone. It is still immensely readable, full of action and humor, and the ring of authenticity. Wister’s ear for lingo was unusually keen, and he had apparently absorbed ranch life through his pores. ‘When you call me that, smile!’ is still standard for young Americans playing cowboy, and the situation between the buckaroo and the schoolmarm has become stock equipment for horse opera. But the book from which many horse operas derive has a dignity and strength not shared by its imitators. Adams, [Henry] Lewis, and Wister made the cowboy a respectable character for serious literature… Their performance has not yet been bettered. All came when local color as a coherent movement had about played itself out; all owe as much to the honest Realism of [Edward] Eggleston as to the flossy melodramatics of [Bret] Harte.” Wallace Stegner The Literary History of the United States, 3rd edition (Macmillan 1946-63) 872 “One of the steadfast best sellers in American literary history, The Virginian has sometimes been described as the ancestor of the Western.
    [Show full text]
  • Field Hockey
    HOME OF THE NINE-TIME NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 1982 TABLE OF CONTENTS MEDIA INFORMATION .................... 2-3 1983 Media Instructions ......................................................... 2 Why Monarchs? ............................................................. 2 1984 Quick Facts ................................................................... 2 Media List ................................................................... 3 1988 Directions to Foreman Field ........................................... 3 THE GAME OF FIELD HOCKEY ........ 4-5 1990 Game Basics 4 The Field ................................................ 4 Rules of the Game .......................................................... 4-5 1991 History of the Game ....................................................... 5 Coaching Staff ..................................... 6-8 1992 Head Coach Beth Anders ............................................... 6-7 1998 Beth Anders' Year-by-Year Record ................................. 7 Assistant Coaches .......................................................... 8 2000 THE 2005 LADY MONARCHS .......... 9-15 2005 Outlook .................................................................. 9 2005 Rosters ................................................................... 10 Player Information .......................................................... 11-15 2004 IN REVIEW ................................ 16-17 1 2004 Old Dominion Statistics ......................................... 16 2004 Wrap-Up ...............................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Cowboy Legend : Owen Wister's Virginian and The
    University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository University of Calgary Press University of Calgary Press Open Access Books 2015-11 The cowboy legend : Owen Wister’s Virginian and the Canadian-American frontier Jennings, John University of Calgary Press Jennings, J. "The cowboy legend : Owen Wister’s Virginian and the Canadian-American frontier." West series; 7. University of Calgary Press, Calgary, Alberta, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1880/51022 book http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca THE COWBOY LEGEND: OWEN WISTER’S VIRGINIAN AND THE CANADIAN-AMERICAN FRONTIER by John Jennings ISBN 978-1-55238-869-3 THIS BOOK IS AN OPEN ACCESS E-BOOK. It is an electronic version of a book that can be purchased in physical form through any bookseller or on-line retailer, or from our distributors. Please support this open access publication by requesting that your university purchase a print copy of this book, or by purchasing a copy yourself. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected] Cover Art: The artwork on the cover of this book is not open access and falls under traditional copyright provisions; it cannot be reproduced in any way without written permission of the artists and their agents. The cover can be displayed as a complete cover image for the purposes of publicizing this work, but the artwork cannot be extracted from the context of the cover of this specific work without breaching the artist’s copyright.
    [Show full text]
  • West of Everything the American Frontier in Literature, Film, Painting, and Photography
    West of Everything The American Frontier in Literature, Film, Painting, and Photography Course instructor: PD Dr. Stefan Brandt Winter term 2009/10 Bibliography (selection): Adams, Ramon. Western Words: A Dictionary of the Range, Cowcamp, and Trail. 1945. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1968. Allen, Charles W. From Fort Laramie to Wounded Knee: In the West That Was. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1997. Allmendinger, Blake. The Cowboy: Representations of Labor in an American Work Culture. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1992. Aquila, Richard, ed. Wanted Dead or Alive: The American West in Popular Culture. Urbana: Univ. of Illinois Press, 1996. Baigell, Matthew. The Western Art of Frederic Remington. New York: Ballatine Books, 1976. Bartley, Paula. Plains Women: Women in the American West. New York Cambridge University Press, 1991. Bataille, Gretchen M. Images of American Indians on Film: An Annotated Bibliography. New York: Garland, 1985. Bird, Harrison. War for the West, 1790-1813. New York: Oxford University Press, 1972. Blackstone, Sarah J. The Business of Being Buffalo Bill. New York: Praeger, 1988. Bold, Christine. Selling the Wild West: Popular Western Fiction, 1860 to 1960. Bloomington: Indiana Univ. Press, 1987. Bridger, Bobby. Buffalo Bill and Sitting Bull: Inventing the Wild West. Austin: University of Texas Publishing, 2002. Brown, Bill, ed. Reading the West: An Anthology of Dime Westerns. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997. Brown, Dee Alexander. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West. New York: Owl Books, 2001. Butler, Anne M., and Michael J. Lansing, eds. The American West: A Concise History. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publ. 2008.
    [Show full text]
  • Schofield R 2017.Pdf
    School of Media, Culture and Creative Arts The Dissenter and Anti-authoritarian Aspects of Australian History and Character that Inform the Moral Ambiguity that Marks Australian Crime Fiction Robert James Schofield This thesis is presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Curtin University November 2017 DECLARATION To the best of my knowledge and belief this thesis contains no material previously published by any other person except where due acknowledgment has been made. This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university. 2 CONTENTS DECLARATION 2 ABSTRACT 4 THE GRASS MUD HORSE: A NOVEL 7 Exegesis: The dissenter and anti-authoritarian aspects of Australian history and character that inform the moral ambiguity that marks Australian crime fiction 314 Chapter 1: Introduction 314 Chapter 2: Towards a definition of Noir 324 Chapter 3: Robbery Under Arms by Rolfe Boldrewood 334 Chapter 4: The Forger’s wife by John Lang 366 Chapter 5: Mark Brown’s wife by Charles de Boos 375 Chapter 6: Irralie’s Bushranger by E.W. Hornung 383 Chapter 7: Wanted by the Police by Henry Lawson 393 Chapter 8: Summary and Conclusion 401 References 405 END 409 3 ABSTRACT This thesis consists of two distinct but related parts: a creative component, the novel ‘The Grass Mud Horse’, and an exegesis. Both will attempt to answer the question: How has the moral ambiguity that marks both colonial and contemporary Australian crime fiction been informed and influenced by the dissenter and anti- authoritarian aspects of Australian history and character? Crime fiction has a long tradition in Australian culture, ensured by its Western origins as a penal colony.
    [Show full text]
  • Theodore Roosevelt's Frontier Diplomacy Duane G
    Northwestern College, Iowa NWCommons Faculty Publications History 12-2012 "Never Draw Unless You Mean to Shoot": Theodore Roosevelt's Frontier Diplomacy Duane G. Jundt Northwestern College - Orange City, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://nwcommons.nwciowa.edu/history_faculty Part of the Diplomatic History Commons, Military History Commons, Political History Commons, and the United States History Commons This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the History Department at NWCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of NWCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WWHA Journal – December 2012 As President, Roosevelt was often caricatured and lampooned in the political cartoons of the day “Never Draw Unless You as a cowboy, sheriff, policeman or Rough Rider on horseback (preferably a bucking bronco) who Mean to Shoot” invariably wielded a very big stick that more than outweighed the other half of his famous maxim to Theodore Roosevelt’s “speak softly.”5 Roosevelt was seen as a man of Frontier Diplomacy action and, frequently, violent, action. But this stereotypic portrayal is at odds with the reality of Roosevelt the ranchman and Roosevelt the deputy Duane G. Jundt sheriff. Although he inhabited a sometimes violent world in the valley of the Little Missouri River, Roosevelt did not resort to violence with the ease and to the degree that many of his “[The Virginian] began far off from the contemporaries did; in fact, Roosevelt exercised point with that rooted caution of his—that considerable restraint, caution and discipline in caution which is shared alike by the primitive numerous situations in which an appeal to savage and the perfected diplomat.” 1 violence would have been wholly accepted and Owen Wister, The Virginian even condoned in his frontier community.
    [Show full text]